Ivan Vicario Martin
To find Peugeot's first convertible cars you have to go to the beginning of the last century. Already then, the lion brand marketed several models without a roof, such as the Peugeot Type 91 Spider, of which 339 units were manufactured in 1907 and 1908. The Type 136 of 1911 also had an open body, and the same was the case with the Type 144 and 145.
In addition, we must also take into account that the different bodybuilders could dress the cars to suit the customer, so there were more cabriolets than those offered by the brand itself. However, the taste for roofless cars is linked to the same origins of Peugeot as a car manufacturer. It must be remembered that the company had been born several decades earlier, manufacturing, for example, coffee grinders.
THE SPECTACULAR PEUGEOT 401 ECLIPSE
The lion brand marked a true milestone in the world of convertible cars with a unique creation that appeared in 1934. We are talking, of course, about the Peugeot 401 Eclipse, which offered a body-color hardtop that it folded and collected automatically in the trunk with the help of an electrical control. Remember that we are talking about the interwar period.
Said mechanism made him de facto the first coupe-cabrio in history, because with a closed roof the 401 Eclipse became a light sports car. Also, the soft top was missing for the first time on a convertible model. The person responsible for designing the mechanism was Georges paulin, in collaboration with the bodybuilder Marcel pourtout. Only 79 copies of a car were made that marked a before and after at Peugeot.
And it is that the lion brand launched a retractable hardtop version of other models in the range, which received the nickname Eclipse. We mean to cars like the 202, 301, 402 or the 601. Precisely a 601 Eclipse was the protagonist of the film Le Schpoutz (1938) by Marcel Pagnol. As we can see, an authentic range of convertibles, which was joined by the variants with a canvas roof that never stopped being manufactured.
With the installation of paid holidays in France in 1936, mass tourism started, which resulted in the appearance of the first “road movies” in history. Bill Peugeot 301 CR Roadster he was the protagonist of one of them, The Naughty Youth from 1936, a slightly sui generis translation of the original title, take the route.
AFTER WORLD WAR II
The conflict brought the automobile industry to a standstill, of course, although Peugeot did manage to create a small two-seater electric cabrio, the VLV. It was a small car with a range of just 80 kilometers designed - in full scarcity - to ensure essential services, such as mail or medical assistance.
In the worst of the postwar period, in 1948, the Peugeot 203, the first model of the brand after the conflict. This had a variant with a canvas roof since 1949, of which more than 11.500 units were dispatched. Less luck ran the convertible appeared in 1951, of which only 2.567 copies were sold. The next 200 series cabriolet would be much better received, the Peugeot 204, although it would take several years until its appearance in October 1966.
Undoubtedly, one of the most famous Peugeot convertibles is the 403, a model with which the Detective Colombo He solved the most complicated crimes. The 403 was the result of tree economy that France and Europe lived once you overcome the consequences of World War II.
THE PEUGEOT 404, 304 and 504
Another key model in the history of the manufacturer of the lion, the peugeot 404 It was presented at the Paris Salon held in May 1960. Its elegant profile, the work of the master Pinin Farina, excellent behavior and bombproof reliability made it a an unforgettable success. It was marketed for 15 years in Europe and would continue to be produced in Kenya until the 90s.
Of course, had a successful convertible version, bodywork that was added to the conventional saloon, coupe, family car and even, since 1968, to a pick-up. Having a wide range was a common thing in the brand, because also the Peugeot 304 From 1970 it enjoyed saloon, coupe and, logically and that is why we mention it here, cabriolet variants.
Appeared in 1968, the Peugeot 504 had their respective version Coupe and Cabrio that served to crown the range of the saloon. Developed together with Pininfarina, stood out for their superb lines and top-level dynamic behaviour. In addition, they served to establish design elements of the brand such as the triple taillights, present in the coupe. Also the trapezoidal headlights would be common to the brand for a while.
Almost as important was the track record in competition of the Peugeot 504 Coupé, which prevailed in the Safari Rally in 1981 and in the Bandama in 1976 and 1978. These successes earned the model and the brand itself an enormous reputation for reliability and robustness.
THE REVOLUTION
With the years comes the Peugeot 205, responsible for forever changing the history of the brand. The little lion rejuvenated the image of the French manufacturer, becoming an unmitigated success, as witnessed by the more than 5 million units sold. Suddenly, the brand was imbued with the young, happy and dynamic spirit of its small utility, whose lines we owe to the genius of designer Gérard Welter.
If the street model offered a fantastic appearance, unblemished behavior and first-rate sports versions, its time in the world of rallying cemented a fame that lasts to this day. So, el Peugeot 205 T16 became the most successful Group B, won two world championships for drivers and brands, to which he added two wins in the Paris-Dakar.
La cabriolet version of the 205 received the surname of CTi. It appeared in 1986 and, of course, it bore the Pininfarina signature. Equip the gti engine, with which it also shared different aesthetic components, which gave it a plus of interest and attractiveness. Later, a less equipped version called CJ would arrive and, in 1993, a special edition Roland Garros. In all, nothing less than 72.375 units of the Peugeot 205 Cabrio.
THE LATEST PEUGEOT CONVERTIBLES
Although the 309 never had an open version, everything changed with its successor, the Peugeot 306, which presented its Cabriolet in 1994. Again with the unmistakable stamp of Pininfarina, is already a fully collectible model of which almost 78.000 units were assembled.
Already in the new millennium, the Peugeot 206 CC -for Coupé Cabrio- looked at the roots of the brand to offer a hardtop, in the style of the 401 Eclipse. This convertible was the icing on the cake of a model that would become the best-selling in the history of the brand. The roof was a wonder that folded or unfolded in just 28 seconds. had continuity with 207 CC of 2007, with a similar approach.
We do not forget his contemporaries, the Peugeot 307 CC and 308 CC. So far, the brand's latest convertible model has been the 108 Top!, which had a canvas top on the roof. Currently, the brand of the lion does not have any cabrio model, which is still an anomaly seen the huge Peugeot tradition with convertible versions.
